All posts filed under: Arts & Entertainment

By Pauline Mikhail Pumpkin spice lattes, falling leaves, chilly weather, and cozy movies. Do you know what that means? Fashion week is officially upon us for the second time this year, and instead of Fall collections, the designers are showing off their new Spring collections, but, is it culturally appropriate or is the style for everyone to be able to wear? Fashion week is usually a fun and festive time but for the past couple of years, Fashion Week has shown us that if you are not gorgeous, slim, and white then celebrating its clothes is not for you – which usually includes the models. According to the Fashion Spot, “Spring 2018 was the most racially diverse New York Fashion Week in recent history. After examining 94 major New York shows and tallying 2,601 runway appearances, we found that 63.1 percent of castings were white and 36.9 percent were nonwhite. This is the first time that non-white models have accounted for this large of a percentage. Until now, the Fall 2016 season held the racial …

By Estefani Alarcon When women gather and work together, magic happens. On Saturday, February 25th, “Never Turn Away a Woman” presented EQUAL MEANS EQUAL, a film by Kamala Lopez that educates Americans on the importance of equal rights under federal law for women. The film touches on the different issues women face such as domestic violence, sexual assault, homelessness, wage discrimination, poverty and the list goes on. These issues are not protected by the constitution for women. In the film, she connects all of these issues with one another and explains how this affects the future of women in the United States and across the globe. Lopez shared the stories of different women who have been victims of different crimes but their abusers are still free. Some of the cases presented on trial were dismissed and were evidence that women are not protected by the constitution. “When you have all of your rights given to you by laws they can be overturned by whoever happens to be in control of the white house and as …

By Jessica Flores People visit fashion and lifestyle blogs to escape the realities of their lives but now people are curious in knowing what their influencers think about the political climate America is in. President Trump’s recent executive orders regarding immigration has inspired fashion influencers to speak out–many for the first time–about their political stance on their social media. Fashion blogger Indah Nur posted a photo on Instagram that said “I am the proud daughter of immigrants” with “Proud Indonesian #adaywithoutimmigrants #indonesian #javanese” as a caption. Marianna Hewitt from Life with Me blog also shared a post about her mother who came to America for a better life and if it weren’t for her, she wouldn’t be here. “I’m not even sure how to end this post or what to say, I just wanted to share the story of ONE immigrant who chose to come to this country with every good intention and love for the U.S. and how ONE person having the freedom and the chance to make a life here, here has changed …

By Carsie Mendoza Musical theatre is a big part of my life. From the numerous original cast albums downloaded on my phone and computer to the varied assortment of memorable quotes from Broadway shows that serve as motivation. So when the live-recorded production of Newsies came out in select movie theaters February 16th, 18th, and 22nd, I knew that seeing it was a must. Newsies is a musical based on the New York paperboy strike in 1899 and deals with the harsh realities of that time when children were trying their best to survive by working for companies that had no concern for their well-being. Additionally, it covers something that is becoming ever more relevant in today’s society: the desire to have your voice be heard in a world ruled by elites that only have personal interests and the struggle to keep voices raised when everything is against you. Live-recorded productions of musicals, especially ones that have a huge following like Newsies does, can either be a hit or a miss. On the hit side, …

Written by Kimberly Aguilar, Staff Writer As Jane the Virgin takes on its third season, it continues taking on a “beautifully nuanced approach to women’s sexuality.” Magazines, such as Cosmopolitan, are naming it CW’s best show ever and it’s for all the right reasons. The show captures one of the greatest facts that television fails to portray: not all Latina characters are maids or women like Sofia Vergara. Our Los Angeles population consists of nearly 48% women and girls of Latina descent and they are also the youngest female ethnic group in California. Jane the Virgin tackles many issues Latinas face from their virginity to immigration, and the best part about it is that the show does not shy away from how vocal they want to be about it. Some of the best scenes take place in the midst of the crisis, which is usually when things unravel. In an episode where Jane Villanueva (played by Gina Rodriguez) finds out she is pregnant, her mother, Xiomara Villanueva (played by Andrea Navedo) asks her if having …

Written by Pamela Ardon, Staff Writer As social media continues to grow, Instagram has become the new media outlet for millennial artists to showcase their artwork. This new generation of artists is using their artwork to express their views on social justice issues that are often dismissed or ignored. In other words, museums and art galleries are not so much the first choice anymore. Artists (mainly from ages 18 to 25) use their Instagram accounts to shine a light on subjects through all creative platforms including music, literature, film, drawings, paintings, photography, and more. However, they are also pushing and challenging the boundaries that art industries have normalized. Ojo Agi, 24, uses her art to explore and address the issues of race, gender, and cultural identity. The Nigerian-born self-taught artist aspires to tell stories that people of color and any background can relate to. She challenges to break the “myopic lens where women of color are often portrayed,” as well as gain a deeper understanding of what beauty means to her. “I hope in viewing …

Written by Brytanya Le, Staff Writer Apple’s newest iOS version has finally reached the double digits. It was released to the general public on September 13 and comes with all sorts of new features. From built-in apps for iMessage to new layouts and features in other apps, the new operating system can seem a bit intimidating at first. Read below to learn all about the newest features. Raising certain iPhone models off a surface will immediately wake up the phone, instead of having to press the home or power button. You can do multilingual typing without having to switch between keyboards (e.g. English and Spanish). However, this currently only works with several languages. The new Home app allows you to lock your doors, raise your windows, and turn off your lights with just a tap. You can now create handwritten messages, doodle on photos and videos, turn on/off read receipts for individual conversations, and even send stickers (usually cute images). You can send invisible text messages and images, and the receiver would have to swipe them …

Written by Makayla Williams, Staff Writer It’s almost as if Ransom Riggs wrote Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children with the hopes that Tim Burton would adapt it for film someday, and why not? Burton’s oddball filmmaking sensibilities perfectly fit the world that Riggs crafted in his 2011 YA novel; a book that takes creepy photography and pairs it with a fantastical tale centering around Florida teen Jacob and his discovery of an orphanage that housed supernatural children. In the film, Burton shows that there’s a method to his gothic and even grotesque madness. Style is essential to storytelling for him. Without it, Burton’s oddly engrossing imagination alone can’t arouse viewers’ interest (take Dark Shadows for example). In Miss Peregrine, his style is what sucks the viewer into Jacob’s story. But without great storytelling, viewers won’t even believe that a well-dressed kid can project his dreams onto a wall in spite of it happening in front of them. On paper, Miss Peregrine and Burton are a perfect match of director and source material. The film’s main …